Honoured for 35 years of bereavement care

A devoted care worker who dedicated her 35-year career to helping with bereavement at an Oxford hospice has been recognised with a lifetime achievement award.

Dr Marilyn Relf’s career, which has seen her become one of the UK’s national pioneers and leading experts in her field, spans across three decades at Sobell House, Oxfordshire’s largest hospice.

Ahead of her retirement this month, she was handed the Anne Norfolk Lifetime Achievement Award at the Hospice UK awards in Liverpool.

Dr Relf said it was “an honour” to collect her award last month, adding: “It was wonderful to be part of the pioneering days of hospice care.”

During her career, Dr Relf led the introduction of Sobell House’s family bereavement service, which became one of the first of its kind in the UK.

She was head of education at the Churchill Hospital-based hospice for 10 years, influencing and teaching hundreds of health and social care staff at the hospice.

She also contributed to research papers and books about bereavement care.

Sobell house clinical lead Dr Mary Miller said: “Dr Relf is renowned for her scientific rigour in understanding issues and professionally interrogating solutions. This is combined with a wise, humane, compassionate and creative personality.

“It is fitting that Dr Relf concludes her career later this year with such a prestigious and well-deserved lifetime achievement award from Hospice UK.”